Category Archives: Uncategorized

Friday, November 1, 2013

Strand Theatre, Rockland, Maine

I was perfectly happy to say goodbye to October. That context is important, because I think that Martin Sexton heals all, and when I realized that he was going to play the tiny Strand Theatre in Rockland, I knew I really needed to be there. I’ve mostly seen him at the State Theatre in Portland, so the idea of seeing him in a far more intimate space was really exciting. The first time I ever saw Martin Sexton was at the State in Portland with my college friends, Ken and Jed. They were both Martin fans, but I’d never heard of him. We’d all just almost completely survived our first year as teachers, and my college boyfriend had driven from New Hampshire the very same afternoon as the show to say we were in different places in our lives (true) and it was time to part ways. It was the right thing, but the end of a long relationship (two and a half years in that case) is never easy. I mentioned the breakup haphazardly in the car on the way down to the Martin Sexton show just a few hours later. I was probably still a little in shock, actually. I couldn’t have ended up in a better space that night, though. That first Martin Sexton show (May 31, 2002) was like a free therapy session. I felt so much better leaving than I did when I arrived. Martin Sexton is a kind of magic. He’s got a cure for whatever ails ya. Seeing him live lets you breathe that big sigh of relief you maybe didn’t even know you needed.

A group of friends and I saw Martin Sexton together at the State Theatre in January of this year. The show was recorded, actually, and I like to listen to it from time to time to reminisce. We came together to worship in the “Temple of Marty” (as I like to call whatever venue he’s playing). His live show is a profound experience—an interweaving of song, scat, stories, and sing-alongs. I got to Rockland early for the show because I wanted to see Marty’s one man show (even if he sounds like a whole band) from nearer the stage. My friend Bartlett and his lady friend Ellie were joining me later and I got there well before doors opened, so I stopped in at an art opening down the street at asymmetrick arts. I found my way into the theatre when doors opened and grabbed three seats in the fourth row. I ended up sitting next to Sam, who’d driven up from Portland solo because he’s a big Marty fan as well. He grew up in Winslow, so we got to chat about the fabulousness of Big G’s and other bands we like. Sam and I have kept in touch since the show and he saved the day when my pictures from the show turned out terribly and he sent me a few he’d taken that night.  Thanks, Sam!

asymmetrick arts

The incomparable Martin Sexton. Photo courtesy of Sam Overlock

Photo courtesy of Sam Overlock

Photo courtesy of Sam Overlock.

Bartlett and Ellie showed up just before Marty took the stage and we joked about how they’d both been on first dates at the last Martin Sexton show in January. Martin had played “Diggin Me” that night and dedicated it to everyone on a first date in the audience. It didn’t work out for either of them that night, so they were relieved this Martin show wasn’t their first date. Martin played “Diggin Me” for us early in his set.

We heard about a feisty Sicilian girlfriend Martin had back in the day who founght Cambridge City Hall for him when they tried to ban busking. He played “Livin’ the Life” for anyone who might be considering leaving their corporate gig and “Failure” for “anyone who has ever f*cked up.” He told us that writing songs is like doing homework to him, but that playing live is like getting to play baseball.

My less than ideal Martin Sexton pictures. I should have switched lenses, but I was too entranced to pay attention to details!

After intermission, Martin joked about how his daughter came into the world because a woman wanted to give him some money when he was busking but she only had a twenty-dollar bill. She gave him her phone number instead, and the rest is history.  I was happy to hear “Candy,” “Angeline,” and especially “Hallelujah.”  “Hallelujah is definitely one of my favorite Marty songs and I was glad he asked us to sing along with him. It was unfortunately also at that point in the evening when two very loud (and surely drunk) women in the front started becoming a major distraction. Anyone who was at the show will definitely remember them. If either of you happen to be reading this—we’d really appreciate being able to hear the performer over you next time.

Martin is absolutely a one-man band, and the amount of sound he can produce with just his voice and guitar is really astounding. His beat boxing on “Things You Do To Me” was really impressive. He told us about mending his relationship with his grown son, which inspired “Friends Again.” “Gypsy Woman” was killer, as were “Glory Bound” and “Love Keep Us Together.” Martin was really open with us all night—from confessing that he was nervous because there hadn’t been an opening performer, to telling us about his rift with his son, to letting us know that “Love Keep Us Together” was about first love and teenage pregnancy. I felt like I was in his living room and we were all sitting on the floor in a circle watching our friend play. I was thrilled when Martin played “Black Sheep.” It was the song I was most hoping to hear him play. We sang along during the “bye byes,” and it was the perfect song for him to end the show with. We stomped and clapped for an encore, though, and Martin came back to the stage and did one more song for us. It was such a great night of music. Thanks, Martin!

xo,

bree

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Gardiner, Maine

When I was 25 years old, I naively decided my rent was nearly a mortgage payment and that I should buy a house. I scoured the Brunswick area for months before a colleague mentioned that for what I could afford as a single schoolteacher, I could get a lot more house if I looked where he lived in Gardiner. I mentioned Gardiner to my realtor and she found three properties for us to look at. The third house we saw was the one. I got a little teary when I looked around the house for the first time, actually. I’ve lived in Gardiner for just over seven years now. It’s just 30 minutes north of Brunswick and 45 minutes north of Portland (yes, really). Gardiner is undergoing a revitalization, and much of that energy and progress has to do with the efforts of Gardiner Main Street. We are also in the midst of a focused community building and improvement project called Heart & Soul. In short, good things are happening here! Down East Magazine even wrote a lengthy article last year about why you should move to Gardiner. I agree—the more the merrier!

One of the best things about Gardiner is the variety of community events here. My personal favorite is our annual Swine & Stein Oktoberfest. It combines silly games with Maine beer, Maine pork, and live music from Maine artists. An article in last year’s Portland Press Herald about Swine & Stein even called it “an Olympics of silliness.” Where else can you find a frozen t shirt contest or a serious bout of Rochambeau (rock-paper-scissors, that is)?! It’s always a great day, and this year—the 4^th annual—was no different. Scroll down to the bottom for pictures of adorable dogs, goats, pigs, toddlers, dancing youngsters, a super cute kiddo feeding goats, and family friendly games.

Gardiner, Maine’s Water Street!

This is a concert blog, though, and I was able to catch two acts at this year’s Swine & Stein. My friend Sorcha (of Sorcha & The Clearing) played with Jo Sorrell (of Forget, Forget) and they were followed by The Ghost of Paul Revere. I’d somehow never managed to see Sorcha play live, and she was great. I enjoyed her soulful voice and catchy songs, and the harmonies that she and Jo formed sounded great. I’m also a sucker for a cello, so I particularly enjoyed their sound with Jo on cello. Sorcha was also a captivating front woman and cheerfully interacted with the crowd. Here’s a video of Sorcha and Jo playing “If You Get Too Close” so you can get a taste of their sound. I’m hoping to catch Sorcha & The Clearing on November 9^th at Frontier Café in Brunswick. I should also take a moment to mention that Forget, Forget was just nominated for “Best New Act” on the Portland Phoenix’s Best of Music Poll. You can vote here. Forget, Forget is one of my favorite bands in Portland right now. Here’s my post about their recent CD release show.

Sorcha and Jo

The Ghost of Paul Revere is fantastic live. I first saw them back in May at One Longfellow Square and they stole the show. They call their sound “holler roots” and it’s a very accurate description of what they do. They are a heavily stringed group with killer harmonica by Matt Young. I saw a lot of toe tapping and stomping in the crowd (and on stage) during their set, which is especially impressive given no one in the band plays percussion. Their harmonies are superb and their songs have power. I talked to Griffin Sherry after the show (his proud dad was a fantastic merch guy!) about their upcoming shows and their Pledge Music drive to raise funds to record their first full-length album. There are 11 days left to contribute to the project. I picked up their EP and especially like “San Antone” (which is in rotation on 98.9 WCLZ) and “Mountain Song.” The Ghost of Paul Revere was just nominated for “Best Roots Act” on the Portland Phoenix’s Best of Music Poll. You can vote here. Definitely catch The Ghost of Paul Revere live. They are impressive and are another of my very favorite Portland-based bands.

The Ghost of Paul Revere

Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make Swine & Stein a great day! See you next year!

xo,

bree

As promised, pictures of the fun!

Cute animals:

Adorable toddlers meeting for the first time:

Freya is one of Gardiner’s unofficial mascots:

Here’s a super cute kiddo happily feeding goats:

A family friendly intermission game:

The “throw the ping-pong ball into a bucket tied to your partner’s head” game

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Port City Music Hall, Portland, Maine

What a spectacular night! I already loved The Ballroom Thieves, and now I’m completely smitten with The Last Bison. My best advice is that you should check out both bands and definitely see both live. This is a really long, effusive post. Buckle up.

I met up with my college friend Elissa, her husband Chad, and their adorable son Jackson after school in the Old Port. We walked around for a couple of hours before I met up with Andrea for dinner at Local Sprouts, fancy drinks at Petite Jacqueline, and the show at Port City Music Hall. It was a lovely Tuesday.

Andrea and I’d seen The Ballroom Thieves back in June opening for The Lone Bellow. It was a magical night. We both went home with a copy of The Ballroom Thieves’ EP, The Devil & The Deep, which is great listening. As much as I like their recordings, The Ballroom Thieves really shine live. Andrea and I’d seen Rachel Gawell play cello with the Thieves in June, and she has real talent. After two years, Rachel has left the group and new cellist, Calin Peters, seems to fit right in. If they hadn’t mentioned it was their “15-day anniversary” with Calin, I don’t think anyone in the room (except their fans) would have known she was new to the Thieves.

The Ballroom Thieves

I can tell I really like a band when it’s easy to keep track of their set list. It means I’m familiar with their music, which shows I’ve listened a lot. Here’s The Ballroom Thieves’ set list from the night, with a few notes that will let you know what you missed.

• “Down by the River”
• “Droves”

Percussionist extraordinaire Devin Mauch said that someone had asked him if he was a Bison. He took it as a compliment and said how “super handsome” the folks in The Last Bison are. I like it when bands on the same bill are kind to one another.

• “The Callow and the Hale”

This was the first night that The Ballroom Thieves’ self-titled EP was available and it was the first of the release shows for the EP. I have been listening to the new EP on repeat and it is great. Talented front man Martin Earley told the Portland crowd how he’d grown up in the Bangor area. People cheered briefly, until he said he’d gone to Hampden Academy. (I went to John Bapst, so our schools were rivals). He joked that “the Bangor love” went away as quickly as it’d begun when he dropped Hampden Academy on us.

• “Wait for the Water” was fabulous. The tempo picks way up and the driving percussion and layered strings and vocals really impress. I hope the Thieves won’t mind that I think they are kindred with Mumford & Sons.
• “Vampires” It might have been Martin who joked that the song was based on the Twilight series. He may also have gently disparaged Kristen Stewart and then hoped out loud that the show was 18+ so no one would be mad about his comment. I was so offended! (Kidding). I have read all of the books and seen all of the movies, though.

The guys talked about how they played Empire Dine and Dance the last time they were in Portland (around the time of the epic Mumford & Sons Gentlemen of the Road Stopover that I went to) and that it’s a Chinese place now. Devin asked if anyone had been there yet and I had, so I told them it has dim sum and the veggie dumplings are really good. They said they’d gone to Nosh and had the bacon dusted fries and were sweating bacon.

• “Coward’s Son” was written for Martin’s dad. I have listened to it the most by far on the new EP. I find myself really drawn to it and also pondering what the song means to Martin. I love the lyric in the song “afraid of being terrified.”
• “Brother” was a new song. I was glad to hear that the Thieves are planning to release a full-length album in 2014!

After announcing their 15-day anniversary with Calin, Devin told us to start stretching and to take off our shoes in preparation for The Last Bison because they’d rock our socks off.

• “Armada” is not about the Spanish fleet (that sunk, right!?), but about legal 21+ drinking.
• “Save Me” was absolutely lovely. The Thieves came down off the stage, stood in the middle of the crowd, and played acoustic. It was stunning to hear how silent and attentive the room was while they played. It was a perfect way to end their fantastic set.

The Ballroom Thieves unplugged and in the audience for “Save Me”

During the break between bands Andrea and I meandered over to the merch table to pick up our copies of The Ballroom Thieves’ new self-titled EP. They were busy chatting with some fans, so I struck up a conversation with the woman behind the Last Bison merchandise table. I was immediately cheered by her accent, told her so, and we got to talking. Turns out, Carla is Last Bison family. Her husband Dan Hardesty, son Ben, and daughter Annah are all in the seven-piece ensemble! I follow The Last Bison on Facebook, so asked Carla about Annah’s recent engagement to Last Bison cellist Amos Housworth. She was so excited to chat about wedding preparations and especially about Annah’s recent wedding dress find. Carla was an absolute dear and meeting her made our night! She said they’d asked on Facebook where they should go in Portland since they had a rare day off before the show. They really listened to the suggestions people posted and spent a bunch of their day at Fort Williams and then had their first lobster rolls. Did I mention that we loved Carla?! We loved Carla! Chatting with her also let us know that The Last Bison is a family operation, and I like that.

Andrea and I did eventually pick up our Ballroom Thieves’ EPs and chatted with the band a little bit about the last time we saw them before The Last Bison started their set and we all excitedly hurried off to get back to the stage. If you’re like me and like knowing a bit more about a band, check out this post about The Ballroom Thieves’ EP recording process and EP release shows on Boston’s Maimed & Tamed. While I was writing this recap, I also noticed my friend Aimsel Ponti at Portland Press Herald had The Ballroom Thieves in to play The Newsroom Sessions.

I have tried to start writing this next part of my evening recap a couple of times, but I was so blown away by The Last Bison that I’m a little lost for words. They impressed me above and beyond my wildest expectations. I am a fan. There were other fans in the crowd—folks, it seemed, who’d seen The Last Bison play over the summer at the Newport Folk Festival. I couldn’t go this year because I was marrying friends on top of a mountain that weekend (yes, by the power vested in me!), but if I had gone, I would have caught their set for sure. They also played Firefly in Delaware—both shows, apparently, in the pouring rain.

A perfect summer day for a wedding on top of Sunday River. This is why I missed The Newport Folk Festival this year! It was worth it!

I married my dear friend Sarah to her love Sam. Photo courtesy of Grace Cooney.

What struck me first about The Last Bison (LB), was their old timey clothing (I love suspenders!), joyful energy, and family vibe. Andrea and I’d already met Mom Carla by then, but LB is really full of family. From the bio section of their website—“six of the band’s seven members are the products of homeschooling, including Ben and his younger sister, Annah, who plays bells and sings backup vocals. A couple of longtime friends—percussionist Jay Benfante and his older brother, Andrew, who rocks that antique organ–grew up going to church with the Hardesty’s and were a natural fit. The band received a refining touch with the discovery of two classically trained strings players from a local home-schooling cooperative. Add Teresa Totheroh on violin and Amos Housworth on cello, and the band’s richly layered sound is complete.” So, only two people in the bands aren’t related to anyone else. And Amos and Annah are engaged, so that’s about to change. You could just feel how comfortable these talented people were with one another. I felt like I was at a bonfire in their backyard on a creek in Virginia the whole night.

The Last Bison

Ben Hardesty, Jay Benfante, and Andrew Benfante of The Last Bison

Teresa smiled non-stop all night long!

From left to right are Dan Hardesty, Ben Hardesty, Teresa Totheroh, Jay Benfante, and Annah Hardesty

The Last Bison’s website also says that they call their genre “mountain top chamber,” and that makes perfect sense. Andrea and I were completely wowed by LB and pondered together throughout the evening what we’d call their music. We kept coming back to the notion of an orchestra and to chamber music. We definitely threw rock opera out there at some point, too. Their sound was both down home and simple, but almost overwhelmingly rich and polished at the same time. I was impressed from start to finish.

Ben said he’d seen a lot of facial hair in Maine and liked it. He also pointed us to The Last Bison’s Instagram page if we were interested in seeing what four tacos before the show did to him. Father Dan took a minute to talk with us about something on the heart of The Last Bison. He told us that there are more people enslaved today throughout the world than there ever have been. He said that LB supports International Justice Mission and asked us to check out their website if it sounded like something we might care to get behind.

“Iscariot” is when I really started to hear the Christian themes in The Last Bison’s music. I’d be really interested in sitting down with their lyrics, actually. Have I ever mentioned that I have an MA in Theology from Bangor Theological Seminary? I know I’ve mentioned that I teach a world religions course, but religion is fascinating to me. I can tell it’s been a major influence on The Last Bison’s songwriting, as well.

Ben complimented the very attentive audience and told us that “some cities just like to drink, but others like to listen to music.” I’m always happy when folks who come out to a show at a bar still come ready to listen to the music. Ben asked us if we say “y’all” in Maine. Someone said we say “wicked” and then he was confused about whether we meant that wicked and y’all meant the same thing (they don’t). I’ll use it in a couple of sentences for our new friends from the South. The Last Bison is wicked good live! They were wicked impressive! Do y’all get it now?

Ben joked that if we liked their cover of M83’s “Midnight City” then they totally wrote it. If not, they didn’t. I was surprised by how funny Ben was on stage given how serious and heavy some of the songs he sung (and wrote?) were. He mentioned their new video for “Setting Our Tables,” which is so creative and beautifully done. There you can see the variety of instruments LB plays—from banjo to xylophone to organ to violin. Their sound is quite percussive, as well.

The LB told us they were writing new songs this fall and have an album of Christmas songs coming out. You can (and really should) listen to their Inheritance EP on SoundCloud. The Last Bison really went for it during their last song, “Dark Am I,” which built and built and even had room for some audience participation. They left the stage with our small, but impressed crowd a little blown away. I think we were still processing what we’d just seen. The Last Bison doesn’t so much play a set as construct an impressive event. They were awesome.

Ben, Dan, Amos, and Teresa came out to play one last song. Teresa had been a particular pleasure to watch on violin because she smiled from ear to ear the entire night. She was radiant. They played “Autumn Snow” for us and said goodnight. This was definitely one of the very best shows I’ve seen this year and certainly one I’ll look back fondly on. Thanks to The Ballroom Thieves and The Last Bison for making us feel at home and putting on an amazing show!

xo,

bree

Friday, September 13, 2013

One Longfellow Square, Portland, Maine

This is a long post. Here’s the summation if you’re busy:  I love these musicians. This was definitely one of the best shows I’ve seen so far this year. Check all of them out and definitely see them live!

Darlingside is easily one of my favorite bands, and yet I hardly ever get to see them live. I was so excited when I saw that they were coming back to Maine to play at One Longfellow Square with Caitlin Canty and a new-to-me group, Rusty Belle. I saw Caitlin perform a song with Jeffrey Foucault in May of 2012, and we ended up chatting after that show and stayed in touch. She kindly sent me a digital copy of her album (that she’d been in Portland to record), Golden Hour, which I wrote about back in February. Caitlin is the real deal. I love her clear voice and her heartfelt, honest songs. I just knew this would be a great night, even on a Friday the 13^th.

I went out for drinks at Gritty’s with colleagues after school (our first payday of the school year!) and over to David’s Bridal to pick up my maid of honor getup for my best friend’s wedding in November. When I got to the Longfellow Square neighborhood in Portland later than I expected, parking spaces were tough to find. I remembered that Michael Franti was in town that night at State Theatre, so at least it made sense. I eventually found a tight spot to parallel park in (thanks to the guy passing by on the sidewalk who cheered me on with a “You got this!”) and made it to the show just before 8. I was really surprised when I peeked inside and saw just a few people seated. I ran into Don from Darlingside who’d invited me to the show and he greeted me with a hug. We chatted about our summers and he was off to the green room. Don was the one who originally reached out to invite me to their show last September at One Longfellow that totally blew me away. Here’s my post about that awesome show that caught me completely off guard.

I grabbed a seat front and center and met Rob and Janet there. They were great to talk to and had a real passion for music. Rob even sent me an email the next day with links to some bands he thought I might like. I love meeting good people at shows and have found that good music can bring good people together. We turned around just before the show started and realized the room had quietly started to fill up. There was a healthy crowd by the time Darlingside took the stage a couple of sets later.

Caitlin Canty took the stage with the fabulously mustached Matt Lorenz from Rusty Belle (who also plays solo as Suitcase Junket). I was really excited to finally see Caitlin play a full set, and I was impressed. She interacted comfortably with the audience and told us about her songs. I’m always happy when artists tell us about themselves and about what inspired their music. Caitlin and Matt sounded lovely together, as well. I liked the fullness of sound that his voice, guitar, and percussion (and done all at once!) helped to create. Caitlin told us that she and Matt had crossed paths in high school in rural Vermont while competing in the long jump. Both were state champions! It’s a small world.

Caitlin Canty and Matt Lorenz

I love this picture of Harris, Caitlin, and Matt

I particularly enjoyed “Get Up” and “Southern Man.” Harris from Darlingside (who Caitlin frequently gigs with) joined them for “Lost in the Valley” which was layered and rich. He stayed on to sing background vocals on “Idaho,” which is easily my favorite Caitlin Canty song. Caitlin had just gotten back to the east coast after a month in Idaho, actually. She said the wildfires there were incredible. I have listened to “Idaho” countless times since last Friday night, especially because Caitlin kindly sent me home with a copy of her 2011 album with Peter Bradley Adams, Down Like Silver. I immediately recognized his voice on the album from a band I loved about a decade ago called eastmountainsouth. I Googled his name to confirm my suspicion and realized I was right! I didn’t know that Caitlin had been in town a day earlier to play a show with him at One Longfellow Square the night before! I was so sorry to miss it!

“Idaho” gets at the heart of what it’s like to be with someone for so long that things have changed and you’re really not happy with each other anymore—just going through the motions. The lyrics hit that feeling right on the head: “You’re silent beside me I don’t want to ask/last night I couldn’t help the things I said/you kept your distance painting on another mask/hard times knocking at our door again/just can’t fight it, forgotten how to run/cold hands like a stranger’s on your skin/can’t sleep beside you so I rise before the sun/where can we go from here/where can we go/we keep trying to get back to Idaho/old songs keep us dancing round the room/stuck in circles nothing new to say.” Caitlin is the whole package—a songwriter with chops, a true vocal talent, and possessor of stage presence in spades. I am a big fan.

It had been a long school week and I was a bit pooped by Friday night (in sadly typical “School Year Bree” form), so I grabbed some coffee at the bar and chatted with a guy who was in town from Montana visiting his sister. I actually missed Rusty Belle’s first song because we got chatting about how he is a cartographer and I’m a social studies teacher and teach geography skills in my classes.

Rusty Belle was a treat. Brother and sister Matt and Kate Lorenz have obviously been singing harmonies since childhood, and Zak Trojano added some grit and rounded out the trio’s sound. They have a decidedly country vibe. Some of their songs are more upbeat and even a bit gospel inspired, while others are a bit slower and more pensive. Matt and Kate both played a variety of instruments—from washboard to fiddle to foot pedal. I was impressed with their musicianship. I loved hearing the low notes of Zak’s incredibly deep voice during “Devil in Your Smile.” I especially enjoyed their last song “Light in the Tunnel” which involved a little audience participation. I liked the lyric “Don’t be stingy with your love/Just keep giving it away” in the song.

Zak Trojano and Kate Lorenz of Rusty Belle

Sister and brother Kate and Matt Lorenz of Rusty Belle

Rusty Belle

Rusty Belle gave a special shout out to Aimsel Ponti who had written a kind preview of the show for the Portland Press Herald. They said she’d written something about having a daydream where she took them out for barbeque, and they wanted her to know that they’d love to do that anytime! Rusty Belle gave off really good vibes onstage and were a pleasure to watch live. They talked about their crazy video for “Change My Heart” that involves stretch pants and a narwhal. You should check it out.

After the show, I chatted with Caitlin and Rusty Belle for a while and Zak said he’d give me a copy of their CD common courtesy if I could tell him who played MccGyver on television. Without missing a beat, I correctly identified Richard Dean Anderson. This child of the 80s for the win! Common courtesy is great and musically diverse. I appreciate the anguish love can leave you with captured on “Anything” and “Sink and Swim” is another standout.

Rob and Janet and I chatted in between sets and they were also impressed with Caitlin and Rusty Belle. I told them to get ready for Darlingside and promised they’d be blown away. I saw 45 shows in 2012, and I put Darlingside’s show the previous September on my “Top 5 Shows of 2012” list. They’re nestled among acts like Brandi Carlile, Glen Hansard, Gary Clark Jr., and Tallest Man on Earth on that list —if that helps put into perspective just how good they are live!

Darlingside looked and sounded a little different than the last time I saw them. Sam Kapala, who played percussion with Darlingside for many years, left the group to pursue other goals. Darlingside is now a less percussive “string rock quartet.” Think of the best a cappella group with the most flawless harmonies you’ve ever heard live and then add some guitars, a cello, a violin, and a mandolin to the mix. That’s Darlingside’s sound. They are so, so good.

Don Mitchell, Auyon Mukharji, David Senft, and Harris Paseltiner of Darlingside

Darlingside keeps the audience involved in the show, as well. Auyon told us that someone had pointed out they were all dressed down (and all in shirts with square patterns), and he said it was because they’d come to see Portland as a second home and “we’re at that part of the relationship where we can dress down.” Caitlin (who plays in a wedding band with Darlingside) joined the guys on stage for “Sweet and Low,” a song that is on both of their albums. Harris joked that he likes getting to perform that song with Caitlin because otherwise he has to sing the girl part by himself.

I love these sweet and slightly blurry pictures of Darlingside with Caitlin Canty during “Sweet and Low”

Darlingside did a great cover of Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” that got the crowd jazzed. “My Love” and “The Woods” from Darlingside’s only full-length album, Pilot Machines, stuck out to me as sounding particularly flawless. One of the things that makes Darlingside unique is that there is no lead singer—everyone in the group plays a crucial part in each song.

Darlingside had a busy three days in Maine—a gig Thursday night at Bates College, the show at One Longfellow Friday night, and a wedding gig with Caitlin on Southport Island Saturday night. They also played on 207 while they were in town. I think it was Auyon who talked about how difficult it was to make decisions about where to eat in Portland when they only had three days to visit. He asked “how can we decide between Miyake, Local Sprouts, and Duckfat? There’s just not enough time!”

Darlingside closed their fantastic set with one of my favorites—“Blow the House Down.” The crowd enthusiastically stomped for an encore, and we were treated to one last song. I was really hoping to hear “Terrible Things” and didn’t, but you should check out Darlingside’s really creative video for the song. Darlingside is so impressive live and I can’t recommend them enough to you. Thanks to everyone for a great night and come back to Maine soon!

xo,

bree

Saturday, September 7, 2013

One Longfellow Square, Portland, Maine

Forget, Forget is easily one of my favorite bands in Portland. My friend McKay plays all kinds of instruments in Forget, Forget and first invited me to come see them live back in April when they opened for Family of the Year at Port City Music Hall. I was immediately taken with them. The fullness of sound that those seven talented musicians are able to create together is really impressive. I will see Forget, Forget live again and again. If you haven’t had the chance to see them play, you’re really missing out.

Forget, Forget in April at Port City Music Hall

I left Gardiner in the afternoon to meet up with my dear friend Sophie for a ride on her dad’s new scooter and dinner at Green Elephant before we parted ways and she left for Max Garcia Conover’s show at Acoustic Artisans and I headed over to One Longfellow Square for Forget, Forget’s We Are All CD release show. I ran into McKay outside and soon after Maina and Will arrived. I’ve known Maina for a few years now—she’s an artist and a farmer and is just all around awesome, and Will just started teaching English at my school! I’d come solo, so I was happy to have people to chat with that I knew. We made our way inside and saw that there weren’t seats set up downstairs, so we went up to the balcony and sat there. I really value proximity to the stage at any show, but One Longfellow is small enough that I didn’t feel too far away. (Side note: I really prefer having seats set up at One Longfellow shows. I’ve seen a couple of shows there lately where bands have cleared the room so people can dance. I’d argue that most bands that play One Longfellow are amazing, but aren’t danceable).

I’m not a natural on the scooter, but it sure was fun to ride!

So excited for this show!

Portland’s Rural Ghosts took the stage. I’m getting more and more stumped these days when people ask me to put bands into a genre. Rural Ghosts had a strong rock sound. I was really impressed by their cellist and liked what he added to their overall sound. Their lead singer had a clear voice that reminded me at times of Jeff Buckley. Since I wasn’t familiar with their music, their songs sounded pretty similar to me. You can listen to a couple of their songs here. They have a new album coming out in October and will play a CD release show at Empire on October 4.

Rural Ghosts

New York City’s These Animals took the stage after a few words from a representative from NAMI—National Alliance on Mental Illness (more on that below). I liked their cohesive, percussive sound and thought they were polished and had good stage presence. Their album, Pages, came out in August after a successful Kickstarter campaign. You can see their Kickstarter plea, recording photos, and hear some of their songs here. These Animals played on 207 while they were in town, too.

These Animals

Another representative from NAMI took the stage before Forget, Forget’s set to talk about their work in Maine and to ask people to consider supporting the upcoming NAMI walk. I think it’s very helpful to know before you see Forget, Forget live that lead singer Tyler DeVos works full time with people with serious mental illnesses. Their words become song lyrics. I was really glad I’d read this Bangor Daily News article about the band before I saw them live. The lyrics are intense, but it helped me access them a bit better by having that critical piece of information.

Forget, Forget with a representative from NAMI

Forget, Forget

Tyler DeVos is joined by six band mates that together create a seriously powerful sound—McKay Belk (guitar/banjo/a little bit of everything), John Nels Blanchette (guitar), Aaron LaChance (drums), Patia Maule (violin/keys/vocals), Dominic Grosso (bass), and Johanna Sorrell (cello). Forget, Forget’s music is complex and interesting. The lyrics are fascinating and thought provoking. I love what the addition of violin and cello and harmonizing vocals does for the fullness of their sound. I continue to be especially blown away by “Do You Love Me” and “It’s My Illness.”

McKay and Patia

Tyler DeVos

Tyler expressed so much heartfelt thanks to the audience for coming out and also to the many people in the crowd who donated to their Kickstarter campaign to make the album possible. I was going to donate to their Kickstarter campaign myself, but Forget, Forget raised all of the money they needed (and actually, quite a lot more) in no time at all. There is certainly a lot of support for Forget, Forget and I can definitely see why. I can’t recommend their live show enough. Thank you for a lovely evening! Scroll down to see more photos I took at the show!

xo,

bree

John Nels Blanchette (who really moves with his guitar!) and Johanna Sorrell

Aaron LaChance on drums

Dominic Grosso on bass

Forget, Forget’s setlist

Saturday, August 10, 2013

L.L.Bean, Freeport, Maine

I hadn’t seen Guster in ages, and I’d missed seeing them live. They really know how to entertain. My favorite Guster memory is when they came to play at Bowdoin in 2000. My roommate chaired the Campus Activities Board, so my job was to “keep Guster happy” for the day leading up to their show. I ordered their lunches, helped them navigate campus, taught Adam the home keys on the computer keyboard, and took Brian to try to find a place on campus where we could plug in his Ethernet cord (there was a time before WiFi!) so he could upload the famous guslog. I had a great day with them, and the show that night was glorious and fun as always. I just looked back through my past concerts, and somehow hadn’t seen the guys play live since 2009 on the pier in Portland. Really?! That was forever ago! They haven’t toured quite as much in the last few years, though, since they are all grown up now and having kids and spending some time off the road.

The last time I went to a concert at L.L.Bean was September of 2010. Without getting into too much detail, I’ll just say that it’s a kind service they provide to bring great musicians to Freeport, but I believe they’ve outgrown their space and going to shows there (yes, even though they are free) is stressful. There’s just not enough room to accommodate national acts in that small space. The last time I was there, I showed up at noon for a 7:30 show with my blanket, picnic lunch, and a book to pass my time, and I was at least twenty rows back from the stage without another person in sight. Since proximity to the stage is very important to me (I am partially blind in my right eye, if that helps), I’d decided after that to pass on the L.L.Bean summer concerts. I’d rather pay money to get to a venue before doors open to earn a spot up front where I can see. I understand that’s probably just my set of priorities, but I can live with it. My dear friend Andrea convinced me to go to the Guster show only because she offered to drive to Freeport from Gardiner as soon as she woke up (and she’s a morning person) to set up chairs for us for the show later that night. Even though she got there at 7:30 in the morning, our seats were still seven rows back pretty far from the stage. We learned later from Ryan that people can start setting up chairs at midnight. I thought it was 6AM. Lesson learned. It’s probably not a lesson I’ll need in the future, though. Unless one of you wants to set up a chair for me at midnight!

Saturday was a truly marvelous day. I had breakfast at Water Street Café with Andrea and Ryan and then Andrea and I picked up our friend Kelly in Brunswick and headed over to Popham Beach for a perfect beach day. Our friend Shaun was there with a bunch of college classmates who I hadn’t seen in ages. Kelly, Andrea, and I immediately spent about 45 minutes in the water jumping big waves. It got a lot more fun after our bodies went numb from the cold water.

Perfect beach day at Popham

Andrea and I dropped Kelly off and took the back roads to Freeport. I’d met up with my best friend there on Tuesday and had spent an HOUR looking for parking, so I was relieved when I pulled into a lot and found a spot immediately. Andrea and I had a delicious dinner at Mediterranean Grill. Three of my students from last year—Alec, Elliot, and Sam (who are all characters and sat next to each other in my very spirited class)—saw us and ended up sitting down with us while we ate dinner. It was great to catch up with them and actually made me look forward to going back to school in a couple of weeks.

We parted ways after dinner , and Andrea and I went to meet her sister Becca and her niece Aurea. Becca brought her boyfriend’s 10-week-old black lab puppy!!!!! That deserves SO MANY exclamation marks! Ace is a doll. I got to hold him while they went into Coffee By Design, and I wish I had been wearing a camera to capture the happy reactions of the people who passed by us. People just lit up and some asked to pet Ace and then told me stories of their dogs, past and present. I totally get why therapy dogs exist! It made my day! And it tuckered Ace out. When we got to our seats that Andrea had lovingly set up for us, I put Ace in my lap and he promptly fell fast asleep. Getting to see Guster (well, until the people in the very front row stood up and I couldn’t really see them anymore) with a tired puppy on my lap was pure joy. Prepare to be inundated with puppy pictures!

Ace! Look at that face!

It’s easy to love that little guy! It’s mutual!

Thanks so much for bringing Ace, Becca!!

Auntie Andrea and Aurea

What a cutie!

Aurea, Andrea, and Brian from Guster

A sleeping puppy on my lap during a Guster show: priceless!

Guster has been together for over twenty years, and they are great live. I was surprised when I counted up that this was somehow only my eighth Guster show, because they are always such fun to see and I’m a fan. Ryan takes the lead on banter, and he kept us laughing all night long. I was happy to hear a mix of their music from over the years, and as I’m especially drawn to their older albums, was very happy to hear classics like “What You Wish For,” “Happier,” “Demons,” and “Barrel of a Gun.” Someone kindly put Guster’s setlist for the night on setlist.fm.

Ryan told us how weird it was for them to be playing for a seated audience, encouraged dancing, and also gave a few shout outs to the folks who’d come out at midnight to set up their chairs for the show. A guy made his way through the front of the crowd early in the set and Ryan called him out and joked a little with him about how he must know someone who works at L.L.Bean to get a seat like that (and called him the 1%). Ryan also worked to remember that there were a lot of kids in the audience, so had to do some quick editing on stage. I thought it was sweet when he pointed out the sign language interpreter and joked that it was too much power for him to have a microphone and a human puppet. He asked her name and then asked if she had to sign everything he said. When Meryl nodded yes, Ryan said “I’m Meryl and I’m awesome and deserve a raise!” It was very cute.

Guster!

Alec, Elliot, and Sam swung by to see if there was room near us (lucky them, there was a little) and joined us for the rest of the show. Alec and Elliot are far more proficient with my fancy camera, so they took the majority of the pictures during the show. Guster wrapped their set with “This Could All Be Yours.” Ryan said they’d go off stage and ponder an encore after that and would be right back. They came back to the stage and played “Hang On.” Ryan told us they like to unplug and play a final song as they wander through the crowd, so they said goodnight and took to the crowd playing “Jesus on the Radio.” He said they’d play it Pied Piper style, which might not work, but “I’m 40 and can do whatever I want.” I’m not sure how many people could hear the last song (I couldn’t), so the crowd started to clear out really quickly. The boys even carried our chairs back to my car for us. Thanks, Guys!

So happy to see Sam, Elliot, and Alec at the show!

Guster is recording an album in the next couple of months and I look forward to buying a ticket to see them play from the front few rows at an indoor venue soon!

xo,

bree